


Looks of Love

by celiaxan



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Childhood, Coming Out, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, I did this, M/M, Mutual Pining, Self-Indulgent, This is the sweetest thing Ive ever written, ft. shuichi saihara, i literally couldn't write so, kokichi has a great best gaydar, kokichi ouma's gay awakening, unless it's himself, you know this is accurate bc i did all this shit too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 13:33:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30140310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celiaxan/pseuds/celiaxan
Summary: He wondered why no one else could see it.See the way their gazes follow each other sometimes subconsciously. See one's glance linger far too long to be considered platonic. See how one of them looked when the other laughed. See the soft looks they would give each other when the other wasn’t looking.Or: a really self-indulgent fic based on my obsession of how lovers look at each other bc it's so soft istg
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Harukawa Maki, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 14
Kudos: 109





	Looks of Love

**Author's Note:**

> alternate title: The Gay Look™
> 
> i literally could not write at all because i kept thinking of this exact thing.   
> it's been happening for like two days so time to write a fic about it.   
> i wrote this in one sitting, please tell me if there are any mistakes!!
> 
> IF YOU NEED MOOD MUSIC, LISTEN TO REFLECTIONS BY THE NEIGHBOURHOOD WHILE READING !!!!!
> 
> enjoy <3

Kokichi Ouma loved the way two people looked at each other when they were in love. 

(Not that he would admit that to anyone, but still…)

No one else seemed to get it. 

But the small lingerings of stares after the other has already looked away. The faintest traces of red still on their face, quickly fading to pink. The mouth formed the smallest of smiles, because how could you frown while around them? 

It was sickening at first. 

Then it became addicting. 

No one (from his group of Rantaro, Miu, and Tsumugi) believed him when he called out Kaede and Maki. 

He wondered why no one else could see it. 

See the way their gazes follow each other sometimes subconsciously. See one's glance linger far too long to be considered platonic. See how one of them looked when the other laughed. See the soft looks they would give each other when the other wasn’t looking. 

Plus, the way Maki glared at him when he talked to Kaede said a lot. 

He wasn’t even surprised when they announced their relationship to the class. 

(And he won’t deny collecting some pocket cash from the group in the process, but it’s their fault for not believing him and betting in the first place!)

Kokichi doesn’t know when it started. 

If he had to guess, he’d say it happened in two parts. 

The first being his first real crush. He had just turned 13, not yet even knowing the urge of strong feelings, hormones controlling his every action. 

Still being young, unknowing, and everything, he got over his other ‘crushes’ and ‘relationships’ as quickly as he got into them. He still hadn’t known what was wrong with scanning classmates in the room, picking the girl he thought was prettiest, or the girl that had helped him pick up his pencil, or the girl that he had thought reminded him of himself, a sort of kinship, and told his other friends that he liked them. 

Oh, how he regretted leading on whatever poor girl he ‘liked’, just to run away from any sort of sign of confession. It was a cycle of sorts. Pick a girl, say that he liked her, run away or watch her confess to another guy, pick another girl. 

Tiring. It was tiring. 

He didn’t even remember half of their names. 

He did remember someone though. 

A boy in the corner that read books during recess. 

Kokichi didn’t know his name. 

All he knew was that the boy was interesting in his own little way. 

It was the first time Kokichi actually looked forward to speaking to someone. It was the first time Kokichi had wanted to know more about the boy. It was the first time Kokichi actually waved someone down in the hallways when their paths met just to say hello. It was the first time Kokichi cared about another person’s opinion. 

It was… the first time he felt his face heat up to something as weird as the boy finally saying Kokichi’s name instead of calling him ‘You’. 

He still didn’t know his name. 

Only the gleam in his eyes when he looked up at Kokichi.

But that only made him more interesting. 

They talked quite a bit. 

When Kokichi was kicked out from playing soccer with the other boys for cheating and bribing other players. When Kokichi purposely faked an injured knee to talk to him. When Kokichi brought him to his house to study (and oh, the little brat told his step-brother, Rantaro, his name, but not Kokichi). 

He loved it. 

The boy brought a puzzle one time for Kokichi, who mentioned that he liked them. He started bringing two grape juice boxes instead of one. They would read together. They would bring out harder puzzles. The boy somehow understood Kokichi, knew which part of the homework he would struggle with, even if he lied and said he knew it all. 

The boy moved away. 

Kokichi didn’t cry. 

He wasn’t even sad. 

But even he knew that was a lie. 

Glancing at him, the boy told Kokichi he was moving. Kokichi had been so used to tossing away random friends, random girls, he thought that’d be the same, he was okay with it. 

He wasn’t. 

A year later, after a big realization (and six ‘Am I Gay’ quizzes), he told Rantaro. 

Rantaro choked on his tea. “Oh, cool. That means I’m not the only gay in the family. But uh...”

“What, spit it out, dear sibling. I have to rob a bank in Russia later!” 

“I already knew,” Rantaro continued, ignoring Kokichi’s arson plans. “It was kind of obvious after I met your little friend,” Rantaro suddenly raised an eyebrow, smiling into his tea. “Or boyfriend?”

Kokichi’s world shattered with another revelation. “He wasn’t my boyfriend! Also, I didn’t like him.” 

_ Or did I? _

“No, you totally did.”

“Did not.”

“Whatever,” Rantaro muttered as an end to that conversation.

Kokichi sat there in silence, contemplating. Finally, he started again. “How did you know?”

Rantaro hummed for a bit before deciding on an answer. “If I had to pick a deciding factor, it’d have to be the way you looked at him. Especially when you thought no one was looking.”

“Really?” Kokichi asked, suddenly interested. “What did I look like?”

Rantaro smiled one of his ‘I Know More Than You’ smiles. “Figure it out yourself.”

That was the first part. 

Kokichi had forgotten about it for a bit after screaming curses of ‘ _ fucking asshole! _ ’ and ‘ _ your days are numbered, dusty bitch _ ’. He had never truly forgotten, of course, but instead, it was just pushed to the back of his mind. 

But like most things, his problems were solved due to social media. 

And TikTok. 

Scrolling through gay TikTok, he saw a ‘gay couples through history’ one. Suddenly gaining his interest, he actually tried to watch this one. 

Pictures. 

Pictures of gay and lesbian couples flashing through the screen, both of the people looking extremely intimate. 

But- their looks- the way they looked at each other. It was mesmerizing. Kokichi couldn’t get more of it. 

It was a look of fondness, so soft, that he could feel the attraction through the screen. The photos themself were black and white, but their impact was still strong. 

Kokichi looked at them and  _ knew _ \- swore on his life- that he wanted something like that. Small glances full of affection. It held so little but meant so much. 

He had always thought that people looked the brightest when they looked at the one they love. 

And the eyes. 

The eyes were soft, dreamy looking, dare he even say- beautiful. 

He wanted that. 

He already gave that. 

That was the second part. 

“So, get it, Shumai? That’s how I called all the class couples before they got together! It’s because I’m super observational and very good at connecting these pieces.”

“...It actually sounds like you’re a sap.”

“What?! Shuichi, you’re so mean to me!”

Now, Kokichi was sitting in a classroom with his current crush, Shuichi Saihara, on the roof. Their hands almost connected on a desk. 

And as Kokichi looked closer, Shuichi began looking increasingly nervous, like he was going to break something if he wasn’t careful enough. 

“So, do you know where your friend, uh- ‘Boy’, you called him, do you know where he is now?” Shuichi asked suddenly. 

“Huh? Nope, I don’t!” Kokichi responded. They were both drinking grape juice boxes. “Why, jealous? Have you finally fallen for me after all?” 

Shuichi stiffened, moving the topic along more. “Then...what would you say to him if he was here right now?”

Sighing, Kokichi sank down in his seat, thinking intensely. “I don’t know. I would tell him I want to be friends again. Maybe if I was bold enough, I would tell him that he was my first gay crush.”

A small chuckle before Kokichi continued. “That’s got to be an honor! First crush from Kokichi Ouma himself!” 

Shuichi laughed awkwardly. “Who knows. Maybe they’re closer than you think.”

“What’s got you so optimistic?”

At that, Shuichi stood up, and picked up some of his books with one hand, turning around to reach out a hand for Kokichi. “Take a guess?”

Kokichi only looked Shuichi in the eye as the sun shined behind him. A familiar pair of amber eyes with some sort of gleam shined down on him. 

Oh. 

And wow. How stupid was he to fall for the same person twice? 

Not grabbing Shuichi’s hand, Kokichi stood up on his own on an impulse. “You-!”

The boy- Shuichi’s eyes sparkled with a familiar look. It was the look that Kokichi had seen variations of over and over again. It was a face Shuichi looked at him with the most. He felt foolish for not recognizing it earlier. 

Shuichi interrupted him- because he’s the only one that can without being told off by Kokichi- with a soft smile and everything. “I also loved the way you looked at me, because... I looked at you like that too.”

**Author's Note:**

> yes, i did all of this three years ago. no, i still didn't know i was not het until beginning of last year.   
> we exist. 
> 
> thanks for reading! kudos and comments are always appreciated. 
> 
> scream at me on twitter: celia_xan


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